Self Management

Self Management is when you reach the point of ACCEPTANCE of the illness and you plan to move on from that (to accept the illness does not make it worse) it makes you realise where it’s coming from and how to work with it and avoid the Boom and Bust cycle.

Respect

Firstly you need respect. This is is a funny thing, because you are ill, and know that you are ill you expect others to see the same. This does not happen people only see what’s in front of them and unless they have had experience of the illness or have dealt with the illness hands on for a long period of time people including professionals find it hard to deal with or understand.

What is the Boom and Bust Cycle?

It is best explained by this graph. When a sufferer over exerts themselves in a day, they create a boom and bust cycle. By not allowing themselves adequate rest periods which their body needs, then their body reacts to, what for them, is over activity and for the following days they will experience increased symptoms and possibly relapse which forces them to take more rest periods . By this approach what is actually happening is a boom and bust cycle. This needs to be avoided at all costs and the best way to do this is with a daily living plan.

Daily living plan

To decide what your daily living plan is, you need to determine firstly what you can manage without feeling poorly. Remember that there are often delayed symptoms with CFS/ME and therefore you need to undertake less activity than you have been doing when you've been on the B&B Cycle, and then see how you feel for the rest of the day and the next few days.

If you suffer an increase in symptoms after the activity, then cut it back to half of the first level of activity and again wait for your body to respond.

You may be thinking that if you're only doing a little it's going to be too difficult to keep to. But if you can manage that several times without relapsing then over a period of time you will get more done. Secondly, if you are avoiding the bust part of the cycle you should find that there is gradual improvement in your condition. And most importantly you will be keeping the symptoms you experience to a minimum.

Your daily living plan should be like a gentle wave which you should be able to maintain and not the peaks and troughs in the B & B Cycle.

Finally, you need to put your daily plan of achievement into action which is not easy but is achievable.

If you wish to try an exercise programme please read our physiotherapist's report on How not to Exercise using her tailored programme.